I know we've got a few dedicated sculptors out there, so I'm hoping for a little advice here. I'm taking an introductory sculpture class this fall, and so far I'm really liking it. I'd like to be able to work on it on my own, but I want to work with something really damage-resistant. Between the lack of safe places to put them, and our furry, four-legged wrecking crew, I'd be terrified of have a bunch of fragile clay sculptures sitting around. Does anybody have any suggestions for a relatively cheap, sturdy sculpture material I could work with? It doesn't have to be pretty - I can paint and decorate my way around an ugly color or texture.

Hi Menolly, how exciting, sculpture classes! I envy you. You can use paper mache, the kind that you add water to. It's similar to clay, a bit lumpy or sticky depending th e amount of water you add to it. You only need to keep it safe from curious viewers, two legged or four, until it hardens.